A Novel about the Folklore of Race

By Starling RootQuailBellMagazine.com

Who, besides the most specialized of historians and attuned social activists, thinks of Boston as a racial hotpot during the 1960s and '70s? Danzy Senna's Caucasia explores the intensity of black-white relations not in the bayou but in snow country. The novel's about mothers and daughters, growing pains, black intellectuals, multiculturalism, family secrets, restless minds, New England blue bloods, ostracism, and the fury of running without ever being able to hide for long.

Sure, Caucasia's nostalgic--that's why it's a QB pick--but it doesn't cave at the knees and bow to sentimentality. Just listen to what Birdie, the young mixed-race protagonist, has to say about her chaotic childhood. It doesn't matter if you're at the beach or in math class. You must finish this book.